Just how good was Tony Kelly? The numbers behind his All-Ireland final masterclass for Clare
All told, Kelly’s first half was quietly efficient, without the fireworks. They would come later.
It would be excessive to say that Tony Kelly gave his greatest display yet in the All-Ireland final - but it was certainly his most important. His tally of 1-4 was exceptional given that he played the majority of the game at midfield, yet there was something of a slow-burning feel to his influence on the game.
Despite wearing No 10, he lined up alongside Cathal Malone from the throw-in as expected, with Tim O’Mahony his direct opponent. O’Mahony made a flying start, pointing after just 15 seconds and, before the first minute was out, he had sent a brilliant pass into Patrick Horgan, who laid it off to Seamus Harnedy to put Cork two up.
Kelly got into the game with a superb ball from midfield to David Reidy, who handpassed to Mark Rodgers’ for Clare’s first score after a somewhat nervy start. A minute later Kelly latched onto a break and fed Diarmuid Ryan, who hit their second.
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O’Mahony, meanwhile, made another telling contribution in the seventh minute when effecting a hook on David Fitzgerald which caused the Clare wing-forward to miscue a point effort but while the Cork man’s contribution to the game tended to come in bursts, Kelly’s was more steady without being spectacular, until around the midway point of the second half.
RTE analyst Liam Sheedy noted how Kelly was sent to play a deeper role around Clare’s half-back line following Robert Downey’s 12th minute goal which put Cork seven points up, thereby freeing up centre-back John Conlon to protect his full-back line more.
Clare took control of the game in the second quarter as Conlon’s influence grew and Cork went 23 minutes without a score from play, with O’Mahony’s influence dropping noticeably in that period.
Kelly, for his part, picked up a couple of breaks, one of which he fed to his goalkeeper Eibhear Quilligan, who placed Fitzgerald for a 22nd minute point, Clare’s fourth on the trot with the momentum of the game flowing very much in their favour now.
He also had two shots from distance, one of which was wide while another came back off the post.
All told, Kelly’s first half was quietly efficient, without the fireworks. They would come later.
First though, O’Mahony thundered back into the game after half-time, sending in a pass to Brian Hayes for a point within seconds of the restart and then lofting over two huge points to bring his tally to 0-3, with Kelly yet to get off the mark.
Indeed, he had passed up a point opportunity early in the second half in favour of passing to Ryan, who missed. Perhaps that was Kelly’s eureka moment to take the game by the scruff of the neck.
With his very next possession, he scored one of the greatest All-Ireland final goals.
Taking a handpass from Fitzgerald with the sides level, he stepped inside Mark Coleman and past a flatfooted Robert Downey, with a handy point to get him off the mark for the taking. Not a bit of it.
Sean O’Donoghue was advancing to cut down the shooting angle but Kelly just flipped the ball over him, killed it on his stick when he came around the other side and scooped it past Patrick Collins. Somehow, Downey’s goal had been bettered.
Soon afterwards Ryan Taylor was introduced which resulted in Kelly playing a more advanced role and he set up the Clooney-Quin man for a point in the 60th minute to restore Clare’s three-point advantage.
Kelly’s next contribution, in injury time, looked like it would be the winner, another stupendous score as he swivelled and pointed on his left while off balance, with four Cork players in close proximity.
Cork forced extra time but while players on both sides were clearly wilting, his influence grew.
By this stage, O’Mahony was no longer his direct opponent with Taylor and Cathal Malone the midfield partnership, but the Newtownshandrum man was one of those who ran out of gas. He only made two plays in the last quarter of normal time and was replaced in the 85th minute with no more to give.
Kelly tagged on two more points in the first half of extra time, the first after a sharp one-two with Aidan McCarthy from a sideline ball. From a narrow angle tight on the Cusack Stand sideline, he split the posts.
Later, he intercepted a Coleman sideline ball and launched it over from outside the 45 towards the Hogan Stand sideline, with Niall O’Leary, closing in to bring Clare level.
A replay was looking increasingly inevitable with nothing between the sides in extra time but, once more, Kelly stepped forward when the need was greatest.
Intercepting Coleman again, he flipped the ball over Ger Millerick and then Luke Meade before putting Clare in front for what proved to be the last time in the 88th minute, with McCarthy and Shane Meehan following up to ultimately leave Cork with too much to do.
Kelly produced better all round performances over the course of the period which saw him win three successive All Stars from 2020-22, but each of his five scores against Cork were of the highest quality - and all of them crucial to the outcome.
That’s why, when his brilliant career is recalled in years to come, the 2024 All-Ireland final will tower above all others.
Tony Kelly's All-Ireland final numbers:
- Made 22 plays (9, 6; 5, 2).
- Scored 1-4.
- Assisted 0-2.
- Created another point opportunity and a goal chance which were missed.
- Completed six stickpasses.
- Completed four handpasses.
- Four solo runs.
- Picked up four breaks, two on puckouts.
- Won a free.
- Took three sidelines, all complete.
- Two interceptions.
- One dispossession for.
- One dispossession against.
- Goal effort saved.
- One wide.
- Took a free from his own half, incomplete.
- Yellow carded.
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